EXPERTS from a Scottish university have found severe allergy sufferers are not getting the help they need to live safely with their condition.
Edinburgh University compiled a nationwide survey of severe allergy sufferers aged 15 to 25 and found not all were receiving the specialist care they needed.
Younger respondents were more likely to be given appropriate medical care – 34% for those aged 15 to 18-year-olds – compared with only 23% for over 18s.
Of the 520 people who took part in the online study, the majority said they had lived with severe allergies since they were young children.
More than half reported to having to go to accident and emergency units following a severe allergic reaction.
Two-thirds of allergy sufferers said they always carried their treatment – adrenaline injections – with them, while less than one-quarter said they had ever used them.
The study also found more than half those surveyed wanted more information about eating out, travelling and food labelling.
Nearly one-quarter said they needed more information on managing their allergies without parental help, while others said coping with their condition in social situations concerned them.
Professor Aziz Sheikh, from Edinburgh University's Centre for Population Health Sciences, said: "The transition to adulthood can be particularly challenging for young people with severe allergies. They need to learn to balance personal safety with independent living. Information and support are crucial to managing this transition."
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